Q: If all the people in the world are descendants of just two parents, then why do billions of people today look so different from each other?

A: We all get one set of genes from our father, and another from our mother. This results in a combination that’s different from our parents—yet all the information in our genes comes from our parents.

Let’s get an idea of how much variability is really found in our genes. If we were to take just two people—one man and a woman—then, if it were possible, do you know how many children they could have without two looking exactly the same? More than the atoms in the known universe. That is an incredible amount of variability.

Think about this—there are estimated to be about 10⁸⁰ atoms in the universe. But the possible different combinations of genes from just two people are more than 10²⁰⁰⁰!

God put this same sort of variability into the genes of animals. That is why we see a lot of variation—but this has nothing to do with evolution as Darwin taught. People stay people and dogs stay dogs—just as the Bible says in Genesis.

For a deeper look at genetics and variation see our article Natural selection and speciation.

This week’s After Eden cartoon:

July 30
Mesa, Arizona
Mike Riddle
 
July 31
Higley, Arizona
Mike Riddle
 
August 2
Decatur, Alabama
Lynn and Miriam Klopfenstein
 
August 7–8
Post Falls, Idaho
Carl Kerby
 
August 8–13
Portsmouth, Ohio
Special outreach
 
August 11–13
Mountlake Terrace, Washington
Mike Riddle
 
August 13
Petersburg, Kentucky
2005 Creation Museum Rally

August 14
Chardon, Ohio
Buddy Davis
 
August 14
Covington, KY
Ken Ham
 
August 21–23
Athens, Georgia
Buddy Davis, Dr. David Menton and Ken Ham
 
August 23–24
Elgin, Illinois
Mike Riddle
 
August 25
West Chester, Ohio
Carl Kerby
 
August 27
Elmira Heights, New York
Carl Kerby
 
August 27
Englewood, Colorado
Mike Riddle